Land Use & Land Cover Dynamics in Kargil Town, Ladakh, India: A Geospatial Analysis Using Remote Sensing & GIS

Abstract

Understanding land use and land cover (LULC) changes is critical for effective resource management, ecosystem protection, sustainable development, land use and urban planning. LULC maintains a dynamic interface between human activities and natural processes, always changing due to anthropogenic and environmental factors. Monitoring and analyzing these changes over time can be efficiently done using remote sensing and GIS techniques. This research is aimed to analyse LULC changes from 1990 to 2022 in Kargil Town situated in the arid and rugged region of the Union Territory of Ladakh. Multi-temporal satellite imagery from LANDSAT 4-5 TM, LANDSAT-7 ETM+, and LANDSAT-8,9 OLI has been used to prepare LULC maps covering the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2022, using different GIS software like ArcGIS Pro, ERADAS Imagine, and Google Earth Pro, showing substantial alteration in land cover classification over the period. Rule-based maximum likelihood classification (MLC) algorithm was utilized in the present study. The results shows a remarkable increase in built-up areas, with a proportionate rise of around 326.90% throughout this period of study, which corresponds to an observable spread of urbanization owing to population increase, development of infrastructure, immigration and tourist influx. In contrast, agricultural land has been decrease by -27.62%, indicating a conversion from traditional farming to urbanization and commercial activities; vegetation cover in the area diminished by -10.50% primarily due to encroachment for urban development and deforestation. Barren land, the dominant category, decreased by -17.21%, as it was increasingly converted for residential, commercial, and institutional purposes. Water bodies are also reduced by about -17.52% due to seasonal variation, climate change, and human interventions. Therefore, this study highlights urban expansion in Kargil Town, which threatens the already fragile ecosystem of the region. Unplanned urbanization and land use changes are expected to keep applying pressure on the local ecosystems, thus threatening biodiversity, water regime, and overall environmental sustainability. The results indicate the need for land use planning and sustainable development strategies to lessen the negative effects of rapid LULC changes in Kargil Town.